Dig In It’s Time To Get That Garden In Shape For The Summer. Here’s Some Advice To Get You Started.

This month-by-month list of chores will help you keep up with your garden’s growing season.< April

With April comes showers and gardening. But before charging outdoors, warm the body with a few exercises. Then head out and give the lawn a short crew cut and core aerate. Prune trees and shrubs except for the spring bloomers. Spray with delayed dormant sprays if necessary and alert the slug patrol. Prepare garden beds by loosening the soil and turning under well-rotted organic matter. Plant trees and shrubs and weed, weed, weed.

Edibles: After blossom drop, begin spraying for codling moth in apple trees. Plant berries. Start warmseason vegetables indoors - tomatoes, peppers and melons. Plant cool season crops - potatoes, beets, lettuce, spinach, onions, cabbage, peas and radishes.

Flowers: Plant, fertilize and prune roses. Divide perennials and start begonia tubers indoors. Sit back and enjoy the flowers of spring.

May

Days are warming and frost will soon be a thing of the past. Fertilize rhododendrons and azaleas after they’ve finished blooming. Fertilize the lawn with a 3-1-3 ratio. This is an excellent time to renovate, overseed or plant a new lawn. Core aerate if you didn’t last month. Continue to plant trees and shrubs. Churn up the compost, watch for frost and weed, weed, weed.

Edibles: Spray for cherry fruit fly toward the end of the month. Watch for insects and hand-pick when possible. Begin planting warmseason crops toward the end of the month. Watch for frost.

Flowers: By Mother’s Day we can begin setting out annuals, dahlias and glads. Freshen up old potting soil in containers by adding a little fresh potting soil. Groom flowering bulbs.

Make sure all plants started indoors have been hardened off before planting them in their permanent home. Always watch for frost.

June

We never know what June can bring - frost, rain or bright sunny days. Be prepared. Cover tender plants if necessary. Keep a watchful eye out for conifer pests. Continue planting trees and shrubs. Check the drip irrigation emitters frequently. Control weeds by using preemergence and/or woven weed barrier and keep the compost cooking.

Edibles: Finish planting all warmseason vegetables and thin all those that are growing. Mulch the cole crops with an organic material. Check plants frequently for pests and diseases. Thin apples, pears and peaches and watch for hungry critters. Continue spraying for the cherry fruit fly in cherry trees and the codling moth in apples and pears.

Flowers: Prune spring-flowering trees and shrubs. Fertilize annuals and roses. Groom perennials, spring bulbs and houseplants. Begin collecting flowers for drying. Watch for powdery mildew on begonias.

July

We can store the frost protectors away. Summer is finally here. During the first week of this month, give the lawn a second application of fertilizer, only this time apply an organic formula. Keep the lawn mowed at 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Water infrequently and deeply. Soak trees and shrubs about every three weeks. Watch for all kinds of critters and their damage - scale, aphids, mites, cut worms, root weevils and caterpillars. Encourage beneficial insects into the garden by planting herbs. Fertilize roses for the last time. Clean out the greenhouse, storage shed and garage.

Edibles: Keep fruit and vegetables harvested to encourage further production. Begin harvesting new potatoes and young carrots. Allow asparagus to go to fern. In order to encourage large winter squash and pumpkins to ripen, remove all immature fruit and blossoms. Continue to spray for codling moth in apples and pears. Keep fallen fruit off the ground.

Flowers: Continue to fertilize annuals and container plants with a liquid fertilizer - about every two weeks. Divide iris. Keep faded flowers removed from all plants - perennials, annuals and shrubs. This may encourage a second flush of flowers this fall. Compost, compost, compost. Take pictures of the yard for future reference.

August

Go to the lake, vacation, stay cool - but first: Check out the lawn. If there are dry spots, poke the area with holes, add a little liquid dish soap and water. Keep evergreens washed down to prevent the buildup of mites. Keep weeds under control. Water, water, water. Sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Edibles: Continue to spray for codling moth in apples and pears and keep fallen fruit picked up. Harvest herbs and vegetables. Take the water away from potatoes and onions as their tops begin to die back. Cover them to guard them against overhead watering. Fertilize strawberries the first part of this month.

Flowers: Keep removing faded blossoms from annuals, container plants and perennials. Continue to fertilize only annual plants. Do not fertilize trees, shrubs, roses, rhododendrons, etc. Take cuttings from geraniums. Collect flowers for drying.

September

Summer draws to an end as the days get shorter and cooler. Our gardens are filled with color, sweet fragrance and a bountiful harvest of vegetables and fruit. But old man frost is just waiting in the wings. The last couple of months before winter can sometimes be the most hectic for gardeners. We find ourselves rushing to get chores completed before winter sets in. Fertilize the lawn for the third time and core aerate once again. It is best not to prune trees or shrubs during this month. They need to harden in for the winter months ahead.

Edibles: Stress tomatoes. Stop watering until the plant begins to wilt and/or cut a few roots. This will encourage the plant into ripening its fruit. Winter squash must ripen on the vine. Dig potatoes and onions for storage. Plant garlic. Be prepared to cover crops in case of light frost.

Flowers: Purchase and/or divide perennials and plant them this month. Bring geraniums in to be wintered over. Plant springflowering bulbs - tulips, daffodils, etc. Plant bulbs for forcing. Collect flower seed and flowers for drying. Wash houseplants thoroughly before bringing them back indoors.

October

It’s nearly time to close up shop. Fertilize the lawn one last time with a low-nitrogen fertilizer. You can mow the lawn short for the last mowing, but don’t scalp it. Start collecting mulch and soil to cover the roses and tender perennials. Don’t do the actual covering until after the ground has frozen. Wrap young tree trunks with a white tree wrap for winter protection. Protect trees and shrubs from deer. Shut down sprinkler systems and drain hoses. Clean and store tools.

Edibles: Rake and clean up all fallen fruit and leaves from around trees. Store fruit and vegetables, checking often for rotting. Open a trench through the garden and deposit all garden debris. Cover it with soil so it will decompose over the winter.

Flowers: Dig and store all summer-flowering bulbs - dahlias, glads, callas, cannas, etc., except for lilies. The dead tops of perennials can be left on the plant. They will eventually collapse onto the crown of the plant, giving a little added protection for winter.